When I was nine my family replaced our first dog an akc. golden retreiver with a dog of questionable pedigree from a trailer owner in Maine. According to my mother Augusta “Gus” as she was known to everyone in the neighborhood would go from window to window awaiting my being dropped off by the bus every afternooon. When I would come through the barway in the stonewall Mom would release her and she would rush to me tennis ball in mouth , drop it at my feet and turn in anticipation for me to throw it as far as I could. I would always obilige.

I would stand in the driveway all afternoon and throw that ball till it was disgusting with spit and I was called in for dinner. After dinner as I was doing homework Augusta “Gus” would come to my room and drop that saliva soaked ball next to me turn around and wait for me to throw it. There where times when I don’t know how long she waited before nudgeing my arm to let me know I was not keeping my end up. My mother, to this day reminds me of all the times she had to clean the paint of the saliva and dirt stains in the stairwell. As I grew into teenagedom the afternoon afterschool ball throwing continued. She would accompany me on my paperoute everyday.

Try to escape my mother everyday and join my friends as we roamed the neighborhood. This dog was my best friend. it listened when I had something to say. She played Cold Cut Frisbee. We both enjoyed that. She listened , I tossed salami. Who’s better? when the time came she went to the vet.
She died in my car after being picked up. Given the OK by the vet she waited until expiring till those that loved her picked her up. I will never forget Augusta “gus” She will be in my heart forevert

James from NY

I am a dog lover, I grew up with dogs from the time I was age 4. All of them were and are very special to me. One of my dogs was “Cricket”, a Manchester Terrier I had for 14 years. My brother and his fiance brought her to my family about a week after my dog Buster was killed. At first I resented her, I wanted Buster back. But gradually the little dog with the active tongue won my heart. I think of so much she helped me through. Losing my brother to cancer when he was 30..she helped me cope. I can remember taking her fishing and her barking at every single fish. Through numerous heartaches, bad days and blue moods she was there. I moved away for a few months and missed her very much. I came back and brought her a friend I rescued from the pound in Ohio, Her name is Rusti. I got married and moved back to South Carolina, where my wife and I got our own dog, Lily. It was such a joy to bring her over and play with the dogs at my parents house. Cricket was Lily’s idol, and they looked just alike. Sadly, almost 14 years to the day we got her, she started having seizures and never was the same. She passed away on Father’s Day 2005, my first fathers day as a dad. I miss her, but I know she lives on in my other dogs, and will live on in other dogs I will own in my life. I believe dogs never die, they just transform their spirit into other dogs, who continue to give the unconditional love that we all should emulate.
ps-I have attached a picure of the girls during a doggie get together at my house in 2003. From left to right, Cricket, Rusti, and Lily

God Bless!

Scott from SC

I’ve had to put down pets before, and although it’s hard, they were old and had long, full lives. This past February, however, I had to put down my 7 year old Shepherd, VanGough. I adopted VanGough and his life long companion Melllie, another Shepherd, from the Seeing Eye of Morristown after my 14 year old Shepherd died. They are called “rejects” when they don’t make the guide dog program, but you can imagine, these are amazing rejects! Mellie & VanGough loved each other. They were inseparable, and because VanGough had 2 full years of seeing eye training, he was an incredibly obedient dog. He never left my side when we were hiking. All he wanted to do was play with Mellie and chase a stick. He did both with gusto. In February, we came home from our evening walk and I placed their food bowls down. VanGough took a couple of bites and backed away.

He loved food, so I knew something was wrong. 12 hours later, he was gone. A tumor had formed on his spleen. These aggressive, soft tumors burst, and that’s when he backed away from his food. He was sick all night, and when I got him into the emergency vet they did an ultrasound and found lesions on his liver, as well. It was a hopeless situation. Mellie was with me when he died, but dogs don’t understand these things.

The worst part was coming home night after night and seeing this blank look on her face. Where was her buddy? I could not explain it to her. It was horrible. It was so sad. I have since adopted two other dogs, a Shepherd mix about 4-years old and a full Shep about 8 years old. Both had been abused and both are now happy and well adjusted. Mellie likes her new friends, but it will never be the same. I think about VanGough and my other pets who have passed, everyday. I miss them all, but I miss my Vangough terribly. He was truly my best dog, so obedient, and Mellie’s best friend. I’ve attached a sketch of him taken from a photo. He was handsome and happy and died way too soon. Thanks Mark for this forum.

 Elizabeth from NJ

My children had a black Lab named Butch. They were unable to keep Butch and he went to live with their grandpa. Dad and Butch became best buddies. Dad came down with Alzheimers and became very ill. Dad lasted 3 years after his diagnosis. Butch was so happy to see Dad every time he came home from the nursing home. The day Dad died, we came home to find that Butch had passed away that day also. I feel that Dad and Butch are in heaven together, forever, best friends.

Laura from Missouri

Jet was 12 years old when I had to put him down. He was older than both of my kids. He was put down June of 2003 and I still think about and miss him everday. He was the most gentle, loving dog. I miss him so much.

I brought Master Tom home in a paper bag… I was only 21 years old & fresh out of the Army, renting a room in a boarding house in Orlando FL… He was the funniest cat I’d ever seen… his front paws had fur about an inch long from between his claws… he was black & white with medium fur length… We moved together 10 times during his life… he travelled with me accross the entire U.S. when I moved back to Montana where I’m from. He made one last move with me to Wyoming when I had to take a job with another company. At the age of 17, his health failed miserably. I didn’t expect him to go down hill so fast and didn’t have time to make the decision to put him down. He found a hiding place under a lower cupboard in the kitchen.

The most heart wrenching thing I ever went through is coming home from work and hearing him thrashing under the cabinet trying to muster the energy to come out and greet me. It is a thought that will haunt me the rest of my life… he died sometime during that same night… I had to pull him out from under the cabinet… I wrapped him in a brand new towel I had and put him in a new suitcase I had recently bought for a trip I was planning. I buried him in a secluded place in the SW Wyoming Desert. I’ve never been back to the grave site. The grief I endured was heart wrenching. Literal sobbing and crying… unbelievable pain. He was a great friend who had the unconditional love you rarely, if ever, find in today’s world. I miss him now and suspect I will miss him my entire life. I will never forget my friend…